


search 'n follow

by theredhoodie



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Missing Scene, Takes place during 1x09
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:54:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26607064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theredhoodie/pseuds/theredhoodie
Summary: After narrowly escaping Caleb and his curse, Alex begins to worry about Willie and goes searching for him.(Takes place during 1x09)
Relationships: Alex/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms)
Comments: 28
Kudos: 485





	search 'n follow

**Author's Note:**

> So these two boys deserve all the happiness in the world! I've wanted to write a fic for them and I finally thought of a good idea! It's nothing but cute stuff, affirming their feelings and hopefully leaving readers feeling hopeful.
> 
> _(It's rated T for one single swear word lol)_
> 
> I've read through this a few times, so I hope there aren't many typos but if there are, I'm so sorry!

It was late, but after changing out of the clothes Caleb gave them, the boys sprawled out on the floor, talking about impossibilities and the Orpheum and ignoring the heavy shit. It would come back around, but right now, they felt more alive than they had since they were _actually_ living, and they wanted to enjoy it.

Julie stayed out as late as she could, marveling at whatever miracle had happened. And she hugged them— _hugged them!_ —before she went into the house.

“Man, this is crazy,” Luke said, for the hundredth time. “What happened?”

“Who cares?” Reggie said from his perch on the piano. “I wonder if this means we can _eat_ now?”

“Really, that’s what you’re curious about?” Alex asked with a roll of his eyes. His mood had started to get decidedly less chipper as the minutes wore on. The reality of whatever had happened to them was once again, too much change. He didn’t know what it meant, how it happened…there were too many questions. “You’re not worried about the consequences?”

“Consequences?” Luke echoed from the couch.

Alex got to his feet. “Yeah. Caleb wanted to control us because we’re what, powerful or something? What do you think he’s gonna do now that we’re out from under his curse?”

The boys sobered and exchanged a glance. “Okay, but Alex, we can worry about that tomorrow,” Luke said. “Can’t we just be happy that we finally got to play the Orpheum? The Orpheum!”

“It was pretty rockin’,” Reg half-sang.

“I need to get some air.”

Luke rolled his eyes toward the ceiling. “Alex, we’re made of air.”

Alex spun around. “Are we? If Julie can touch us, what does that mean?” He took a deep breath. “Sorry. I just…I’m worried. About Willie. Because he helped us. And if Caleb found out. He could be…gone.”

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Reggie said just as Luke said, “Want us to help you look?”

Alex shook his head. “No. I’m gonna go.” And with that, he _poof_ ed out, across the city.

It wasn’t as easy for him to focus on good things; the bad stuff always pushed forward in his head and he couldn’t do anything but face it. It resulted in a lot of anxiety and worrying, and death had done nothing to help the fact.

He checked all of the places he and Willie had gone in the past few months. As the list got narrower, he began to feel a creeping trepidation that perhaps once they left the club, Caleb had found Willie and just…snuffed him out.

Like a roiling storm clouding his head and heart, Alex checked a few more places before going to the least-likely place he could think of: an actual skatepark. _Why skate there when I have the whole city?_ Willie told him one time.

Alex _poof_ ed in and the sound of wheels on concrete greeted him. He swept his gaze around and halted to a stutter.

His heart jumped—well it wasn’t _his heart_ since he was still pretty sure he was still dead, so maybe it was just a phantom jump or his head remembering how it felt. He wasn’t sure he’d ever been so happy to see anyone in his life—or afterlife—and ran so fast that he nearly teleported across the park.

“Willie!” he called out. The skatepark wasn’t completely empty even though it was after dark, but Alex was pretty sure that there weren’t many ghosts, because no one else looked his way. Willie—or who he hoped was Willie—had board in hand and was just standing off to the side, zoning out, a depressed hunch to his shoulders.

“Alex?” Willie dropped his board. It skidded into the grass as Willie pulled off his helmet. “What—what’re you doing here?”

The last few words were muffled by Alex throwing himself forward. He couldn’t help it. He figured the worst had happened when he and the others escaped Caleb’s control. “What am I doing here? What are _you_ doing here?” he said, squeezing his arms around Willie.

It was a good thing neither of them really had to breathe because they hugged for what felt like forever. Alex was so relieved, he could barely control himself. _Barely_ being the operative word because losing control was not something he was comfortable doing.

“Seriously, man, what about the Orpheum?” Willie said, stepping back finally and scrubbing his fingertips across his eyelids, blinking away a filmy gloss.

Alex paused at the implications of Willie crying over him. “It wasn’t our unfinished business. It was _awesome_ though,” he added quickly before he shook his head. “But Caleb—”

Willie frowned. “I still don’t get how you’re here. Caleb stamped you and I could tell the jolts were getting bad.” He reached out and squeezed Alex’s shoulder.

“It was Julie,” Alex explained. “I...I can’t explain it, but she started playing the show and we all wanted to be there so we _were_ but then the stamp was still destroying us until it wasn’t. I don’t know how to explain it. Have I ever mentioned how much I wish there was a ghost how-to manual?”

Willie broke into the first smile of the night. “Once or twice.”

“Anyway. The curse, the stamp. It’s gone.” He pushed back his sleeve; not that you could see the stamp all the time anyway, but for emphasis. “And Julie can touch us now.”

“What?! Seriously? Who _is_ this lifer?”

“No idea. I’m just glad I met her,” Alex said before he frowned. He lifted his hand and pressed it against Willie’s chest. “But also seriously, how are _you_ here? I thought...I thought Caleb would hurt you the second we disappeared from his show.”

Willie shook his head. “No. They had me locked in a room, watched the whole time so they knew I didn’t have anything to do with you escaping. And if Caleb found out about me helping get you into the Orpheum, he let me go.” He trailed off and then snapped back. “I don’t know why and I should be worried about it but, man...I didn’t think you’d be around anymore. I would have gone looking, if I knew.”

“It’s okay. I mean, we _just_ got back. I left the guys to come look for you.”

“You did? I mean...dude, you played the Orpheum and instead of hanging with your bandmates you searched LA for me?”

Alex took his hand back and shrugged. “I told you, I know you didn’t bring us to Caleb with...with malice or whatever. I’ll still follow you. I was really worried.”

“Cool, well…” Willie grinned. “I’m good now. I don’t know what kind of lifer you’ve got attached to you, but one day, I should thank her.”

“Do you think she’d be able to see you? Other ghosts besides the band?”

“She sounds powerful enough.”

“Sweet.” Alex’s stomach—phantom stomach—twisted a little, but in a good way. The band, the guys and Julie, were his family. And yeah, the guys had met Willie before but if he ever brought Willie around to the studio to meet Julie? That was next level and for once gave him something to look forward to.

“Since you’re here, I wanna show you something,” Willie pushed on, grabbing Alex’s hand and pulling him forward. “And I promise it will be better than last time.”

“You know, despite Caleb tricking us out of our souls or whatever, the club _was_ kinda fun. I didn’t know you could dance.”

“There’s a lot about me that you don’t know.” Willie grabbed his board and turned back to Alex.

“Good thing we’ve got time,” Alex said with a small smile of his own. “So, where are we going?”

“Just uh...relax. I can’t exactly _poof_ someone with me. Just close your eyes and follow me.”

Alex nodded, doing as he was told and holding onto Willie’s hand a little tighter. For...safety reasons of course. A few seconds later, the air shifted, getting colder and a breeze picked up.

“How’s this for a view?”

Alex cracked his eyes open. They were on a mountain...hill? The whole of Los Angeles was laid out beneath them in sparkling lights. It was insanely bright. “Pretty nice,” he said before glancing down. “Wait...are we...is this the Hollywood sign?”

Willie laughed. “Yeah, man. Not really as cool as the movies make it out to be but we’re ghosts so...screw it. It’s a nice perch.” 

Alex took a few seconds to process the ramifications. It wasn’t like anyone could see them, they weren’t doing anything like spraying graffiti or having a party. They wouldn’t get in trouble, and the view _was_ really cool.

“It’s nice.”

Willie shrugged in approval and walked to the edge, sitting down and letting his feet dangle over the white letter. “I uh…Alex, if I’d known you were still here I would have found you right away.”

“I know.” Alex joined him, sitting close enough that their legs were pressed together. He wanted to say a lot but also didn’t want to say too much. “I’ve had an insane night.”

“I uh…I come up here sometimes since people aren’t supposed to be here. It’s one of the quietest places in the city, y’know?”

“I do now. I like the studio but a little space…sometimes I need that.”

“I don’t mind sharing. I mean, it’s not _my_ spot or anything, but you know what I mean.” He chuckled, leaning forward, hands fisted in his lap.

“Thanks,” Alex said and he meant it. “I could use a little quiet right now.”

Willie pressed his lips together, as if to stop himself from replying with words, and leaned a little, nudging Alex’s shoulder with his own.

Alex’s ghost heart was doing that beating fast thing again, but he focused on _not_ focusing. He felt a little bit of the excitement about playing at the Orpheum coming back, enough that he kind of wished he was back at the studio with the guys but there was even _more_ tethering him here.

The lights were magical, big and bright and shining, twinkling and colorful. The expanse of it all made him feel pretty small, but it also made him feel special. He was _here_ , no matter if he was a ghost, for a reason.

His heart fluttered along with a sudden gust of a breeze and, after giving himself a second to scrounge up some courage after his harrowing evening, he slowly reached a hand over toward Willie. His splayed fingers hovered over Willie’s fist for a second in which Alex regretted everything, before Willie’s hand opened.

Alex let out a relieved breath as Willie wrapped his fingers around his hand and their intertwined fingers rested against their pressed-together thighs. Willie gave him a small, caring smile and Alex was pretty sure he could stay here forever.


End file.
